This Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken recipe makes super juicy and tender chicken that’s coated with an easy and delicious teriyaki sauce! The chicken is sous vide cooked in a warm water bath at a precise temperature and then tossed in the sticky, sweet and savory sauce, better than your favorite Chinese take-out!
I’ve share traditional teriyaki recipes like Teriyaki Chicken Bowl on my blog, but this beats the texture and prep on any other teriyaki chicken I’ve tried. The chicken is so tender that’s impossible to achieve with traditional cooking methods. It’s also really easy to make, and guarantees the success EVERY TIME!
Why sous vide teriyaki chicken breast?
What is sous vide? It’s a French cooking technique where the food is vacuum-sealed in a bag, then cooked to a very precise temperature in a warm water bath for a long time. It means “under vacuum” in French.
There are a few benefits of cooking teriyaki chicken using the sous vide method:
- For a traditional teriyaki chicken recipe, chicken breasts can be easily cooked because of their low-fat content. When cooked just a few minutes too long, they turn dry and chewy.
- This recipe is more flavorful as the chicken is cooked in the teriyaki marinade. The meat soaks up all the flavor during the long cooking process.
- It’s a foolproof method and you’ll get the perfect juicy and flavorful chicken every time. Totally a game changer!
In addition, it’s the healthiest teriyaki chicken recipe that comes in at 264 calories per serving!
How to make sous vide chicken teriyaki
Make the Teriyaki Sauce: Whisk together soy sauce, sugar, oil, rice vinegar, and minced garlic in a small bowl.
Sous Vide Cook the Chicken: Place the chicken into a zip-top bag and add in the teriyaki sauce. Then vacuum seal the bag using the water displacement technique (see recipe for detailed instruction). Cook the chicken in the sous vide water bath at 149°F (65°C) for 1 hour.
Thicken the Sauce: When the timer goes off, remove the chicken breasts from the bag and pour the liquid into a skillet. Add the mixture of water and cornstarch to the liquid, and cook for a few minutes until it thickens.
Make Teriyaki Chicken: Cut the cooked chicken into bite sized pieces. Add them to the skillet and toss with the thickened teriyaki sauce. Serve them warm with rice and veggies.
Teriyaki sauce ingredients
This has been my favorite homemade teriyaki sauce for years! It uses pantry staples that’re easily accessible in the U.S. and tastes absolutely authentic. You’ll need:
- Soy sauce (use low-sodium)
- Sugar (or honey)
- Rice vinegar
- Garlic
- Oil
- Cornstarch and water for thickening after the chicken is sous vide cooked.
Tips for sous vide teriyaki chicken
- You can use chicken thighs in place of the breasts. Just increase the sous vide temp to 160°F.
- Substitute rice vinegar with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice if that’s what you have.
- Use darker soy sauce if you prefer a darker colored sauce.
- If you don’t have a vacuum-sealer, you can seal the bag with a zip-loc bag using the the water displacement technique: just seal all but one corner of the bag, and then slowly place it into a large pot of water. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water, then seal the rest of the bag.
- Cut chicken into bite size pieces before mixing with the sauce for the maximum flavor.
Sous vide temp and time
I like to cook the chicken breasts to the internal temperature of 149°F (65°C), which produces super tender and juicy meat. If you’d like to try other doneness, below are the guidelines:
| Temperature | Sous Vide Time | Texture |
| 140°F / 60°C | 1 ½ – 4 hours | Very soft, tender and juicy |
| 149°F / 65°C | 1 – 4 hours | Tender and juicy |
| 165°F / 74°C | 1 – 4 hours | Traditional tender and slightly chewy |
Note: The chicken is cooked at 149°F, which is a safe temperature for sous vide cooking chicken. The USDA temp guide of 165°F is for traditional cooking methods. Your chicken breasts are ready after 1 hour, but you can leave them in the water bath for as long as 4 hours (The meat can get mushy if longer than that.)
This is a must-try recipe that my family loves. Steamed broccoli and rice are the best sides. Don’t forget to drizzle the extra sauce over everything in your bowl!
Other Sous Vide Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
Recipe Tools:
Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken {Super Tender & Flavorful}
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb chicken breasts (boneless skinless, fresh or frozen*)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Fill a large container or pot with water. Attach the sous vide precision cooker and set the temperature to 149°F (65°C). If you’d like to try other temperatures, follow the guide in the post.
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, minced garlic and oil.
- Place the chicken breasts to a zip-top bag and add in the sauce.
- Arrange the breasts in one single layer and then seal the bag using the “water displacement” technique: seal all but one corner of the bag, and slowly place it in cold water. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
- Place the bath in the sous vide water bath and cook for 1 hour. (Make sure the meat is fully submerged while the seams of the bag are above water.)
- When the timer goes off, remove the chicken from the bag. Don’t throw away the juices.
- Pat dry the chicken with paper towels and then cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and pour in the juices from the bag.
- In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water. Then pour the mixture into the skillet.
- Stir constantly for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened.
- Remove from the heat and add in chicken pieces. Toss evenly to coat the chicken. Serve warm with your favorite sides.
Notes
- If you use frozen chicken breasts, add 30 more minutes of cooking time in the sous vide water bath.
Nutrition
Tori says
This was great. I felt like it was missing something, but I would totally make it again! It was super easy, and my cast iron really made pulling the entire meal together super easy.
Karen says
Follow the recipe above but try adjusting the following to give it a Bit more depth.
Add equal amounts of vinegar (acid; lemon or mirin, sake or both is traditional Japanese)
to soy and grate fresh ginger 2 Tbl.
I use a whole knob I like the ginger flavor like ginger dressing at restaurant..
taste and adjust the ginger & sugar, or any sweetener to balance the acid… think brown sugar, pineapple, maple syrup etc…
Then I blend it all together as the recipe calls for oil the oil will add emulsion in the blender.
This also is a great salad dressing I make a bottle and keep in fridge for this recipe , or make a stir fry after Sous vide, a nice salad dressing beef teriyaki etc..